Canadiens vs Hurricanes - The Warmup - Captain Kirk
A lot was made last year of the job Kirk Muller did after he was hired by the Hurricanes, how is he doing now?
Last season when Kirk Muller left the Montreal Canadiens (amicably) to begin his head coaching career in the AHL, not many people thought he would be up with an NHL team so quickly.
The Carolina Hurricanes snatched him up after just a quarter of the season had passed, and he proceeded to make them a much stronger possession team, but not one capable of making the playoffs.
This season, Muller has the Hurricanes slightly above water in possession in both Fenwick tied (50.15%) and Fenwick close (50.36%).
Muller's most notable contribution while he was an assistant coach with the Canadiens was his amazing special teams work, however things aren't working out that well in Carolina there this season. The 17.9% powerplay isn't bad, it ranks 14th in the NHL so that's middle of the pack, but Muller regularly had the Canadiens whipped into the top PP in the league when he was here. What's really shocking though, is the Hurricanes' penalty kill. At just 70.9% it ranks 29th in the NHL, ahead of only Winnipeg.
After a slow start out of the gate, the Hurricanes have been on a tear lately, going 7-2-1 in their last ten, and they bring a 3 game winning streak into the Bell Centre.
Can Captain Kirk play spoiler and end the Habs' own 3 game winning streak at the Bell Centre tonight?